Tight Lines Mar - 2018
http://www.santaluciaflyfishers.com San Luis Obispo, CA Mike Powers, Editor PRESIDENT’S LETTER – Art Chapman March 2018
“Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point.” John Gierach, Dances With Trout Here we are almost to March. Time flies. I hope you have already sent in your registration form for our annual fundraiser luncheon at Madonna Inn on Saturday March 31. Registration starts at 11:30 A.M. I sent you the list of silent auction and raffle items and I think you will be pleased with the quality and variety. Please come support the club and help make this our best year ever. Once we dip our toe in the water with a fly rod in our hand, we begin a journey that for many of us becomes a passion. When I can’t get to the water I often spend some time immersed in fly fishing magazines and books. Recently, I read a review in the California Fly Fisher of Isaac Walton’s The Compleat Angler written in 1653. I found a copy in the public domain and started reading it on my tablet. And I wondered how long fishing with a fly has been around or at least written about. Thanks to Wikipedia, it wasn’t hard to find out. I was surprised that there are references to fishing with an artificial lure in Greek and Roman literature. The first known book written in English was penned by a woman, of course, Dame Juliana Berners in 1496 entitled A Treatise of Fysshynge with an Angle. It was almost two centuries later when John Dennys’ The Secret of Angling was published in 1613, that has the first known illustration of an artificial fly, followed by Walton’s publication in 1653 and in 1662 Colonel Robert Venables published The Experienced Angler or Angling Improved, one of the best early treatises into fly tackle and techniques of the 17th century. Lucky us, we don’t have to rely on centuries old material, we have volumes of good and even some great stuff written now and I can’t wait to read my next edition of California Fly Fisher. When the weather’s bad or we can’t find the time to go, at least we can read about, imagine and plan our next outing. Reminder — Dues are due-now! If you have not paid your 2018 dues, please mail a check to our P.O. Box 166, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.
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SAVE THE DATES
MAR 1: Fly tying. Contact Jim Snodgrass (see below) Mar 8: 5:00 Board meeting – Courtyard-by-Marriott SLO lobby area NO MONTHLY MEETING!!! MAR 10, 17, 24 Club Casting Clinics, Laguna Lake Park (see below) MAR 31, 2018, 11:30am BANQUET AND BANQUET SPEAKER: Mark your calendar. Looks like we’ll have a neat banquet, John Sherman, noted outdoor fly fishing photographer, will be our guest speaker. Here is a link to John’s website: www.johngsherman.com. Apr 12: 5:00 Board meeting 6:30 Monthly meeting. Ernie Gulley, speaker. Location and program to be announced!
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Saturday, March 31, 2018 at 11:30am Madonna Inn, SLO Steelhead Fly Fishing — John Sherman
It's been 9 years since John's last visit to our banquet. His previous program was very, very, popular. Whether you are into fishing and/or photography I'm sure you will enjoy John's program on “Fly Fishing for Steelhead in the Rivers of California & the Northwest” — Lew John is the Simms Fishing Products and Hatch Outdoors Sales Representative for California, Arizona, and Nevada and Hawaii. John was born and raised in Visalia, CA where he learned how to fly fish through Buz’s, the local fly shop, at the age of 8. Since then fly-fishing has been a passion that has evolved into a career. John graduated from California State University Chico, in Northern California with a degree in Business Administration, Marketing in 1999. That fall he spent two months fishing British Columbia’s famed Steelhead Rivers. While attending Chico State John worked at Powell Fly Shop and guided on the Feather and Sacramento Rivers for Steelhead and Salmon. John has fished the West Coast from Alaska to the Baja Peninsula for steelhead, salmon, stripers, black bass, trout and numerous blue water species. He has also hosted numerous trips all over the globe including Australia, Russia, Iceland, Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Belize, Argentina, and Indonesia to name a few. John is also an Outdoor Photographer who has had his work published in Field and Stream, Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod and Reel, The Drake, Cal Fly Fisher, North West and South West Fly Fishing to name a few. He has been documenting his expeditions with a camera since the age of 10. John lives in Discovery Bay, CA, on the San Joaquin Sacramento River Delta with his wife Natih, daughter Kalum, son Kasix and dogs Portis and Miller. His favorite species to take on a fly are steelhead, stripers and any saltwater flats fish. He will be presenting his slide show “Steelhead Fly Fishing” which will visually take you through chasing these anadromous rainbow trout from California up to British Columbia including the entre Pacific Northwest.
Editor’s Note — Outline of John’s program can be found at: http://www.santaluciaflyfishers.com/Steelhead%20Show%20Outline.pdf
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Get Excited About Our Annual Banquet! – Rich Chubon It only happens once a year and this year’s Banquet promises to have something for everyone. We have a great speaker and program. We will be awarding the Fly Fisher of the Year Award! There will be lots of goodies in our Raffle, including complete rod and reel outfits, fly lines, a switch rod and much more! Shown below is a partial list of Silent Auction items and Guide Trips. But wait there’s more! Members can special order equipment and gear for some of the major fly fishing manufacturers including Simms, Sage, Echo, Tibor Reels, Winston Rods, Scott Rods, Waterworks/Lamson and others. Don’t miss this great event!! GUIDE TRIPS AUCTION George Durand Beryl Rea Alan Blankenship Lance Gray Chris Wharton Scott Sugimoto Jeff Massey Soaring Eagle Lodge Jordan Romney Pat Jaeger Mark Pinto (2trips) Jon Baiocchi SILENT AUCTION (Partial List) Scadden’s “Detonator” Boat Scadden’s “Predator” Boat Echo 5wt Rod & Reel Outfit Echo Big Water 5wt Glass Rod 2 - Jeff Able Measure Nets 5- Airflo Fly Lines 2 – Scientific Angler Fly Lines 1- Jim Teeny Fly line Tenkara Large Fish Outfit Kern River Fly Shop $100 Certificate Art Work “Trout on a Fly” Fly Box & Stoneflies (14) Custom Cutting Board Wheatley Fly Box & Steelhead Flies Fly Box & I Dozen Dry Fly and Nymphs Fly Box & ½ Dozen Classic Steelhead Flies
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SANTA LUCIA FLY FISHERS 2018 OUTINGS & EVENTS Rich Chubon
JANUARY-MARCH *MONTHLY SURF PERCH OUTINGS – Lew Leichter [email protected] MARCH 10, 17, 24 CLINICS - Bernard Pieters [email protected] (see below!) MARCH 31 ANNUAL BANQUET – Guest Speaker - John Sherman, noted outdoor fly fishing photographer MARCH/APRIL - TBD ***HUNTER LIGGETT BASS OUTING - Andy Harrison [email protected] APRIL 15-20 SAN JUAN RIVER, NEW MEXICO SOARING EAGLE LODGE – Lew Leichter [email protected] MAY 5 SANTA MARGARITA – WATER CRAFT DEMO & BASS FISHING – Rich Chubon MAY 8-12 BAUM LAKE - Bob Bayer [email protected] MAY 27-27 KELSY BASS RANCH - Lew Leichter [email protected] JUNE 17-23 MANZANITA LAKE – Bernard Pieters [email protected] JUNE 24-29 LAKE ALMANOR - JUNE 26 LANCE GRAY’S TOUR of ALMANOR JULY 14 AVILA BAY- HALIBUT OUTING – Bernard Pieters [email protected] JULY 22-28 SAN JUAN RIVER, NEW MEXICO SOARING EAGLE LODGE – Lew Leichter [email protected] AUGUST - TBD ANNUAL MEMBERS BBQ SEPTEMBER - TBD SEA JAY SALT WATER TRIP – Andy Malovos [email protected] OCTOBER - TBD RIPTIDE RENDEZVOUS SURF FISHING EVENT OCTOBER 20-21 CALIFORNIA FLY FISHING SHOW – Southwest Council, Glendale Auditorium OCTOBER/NOVEMBER ****PYRAMID LAKE – Rich Chubon [email protected] NOVEMBER – TBD O'NEILL FOREBAY STRIPERS - Mark Shelton [email protected]
COMMENTS: *Dates and locations of monthly surf perch outings during 2018 will be determined by tide and weather conditions. Notifications will be sent out by e blast **Casting clinics dates are planned for March and April this year; weather conditions may result in date changes; clinics will be held at Laguna Lake in SLO ***Hunter Liggett outings dates will be announced by e-blast dependent on water conditions & pond areas open to fishing ****Pyramid Lake dates will be dependent on fishing reports Other outings possibilities include: Upper Klamath River steelhead trip in late fall or early winter Eastern Sierra outing – E. Walker, Hot Creek, Owens - late May or October Depending on member interest other worhshops offered may include: "Fly Fishing 101" — hands on work shop for new fly fishers A fly rod building and repair work shop Beginning entomology for fly fishers
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Contact Eric Callow, Casting Director, SWCFFI at [email protected] or (818) 219-2276 Many casters who have reached the intermediate or advanced skill level find themselves asking two questions: • How can I continue to improve my casting skills? • How can I share my passion for casting and fly fishing with others? The Certified Casting Instructor program of Fly Fishers International answers both by providing a thoughtfully structured syllabus of casting skills to be mastered with an equally important emphasis on teaching technique and a thorough grounding in casting theory. As such, it provides a road map for becoming the caster we want to be and a teacher who can effectively share their skills with others. Going back to the early 1990’s, the Certified Casting Instructor program was conceived as a way to provide both consistency and a higher standard in teaching others how to fly cast. Today, over fifty instructors who are active in the Southwest Council of the FFI have earned the CCI or Master Casting Instructor title. This clinic will provide a window on how you could become one of them by: • Providing hands on demonstration and practice in each of the required casting skills. • Highlighting study sources needed to become a knowledgeable teacher. • Explaining the role of a mentor and how to find one. Cost: $50.00 FFI members, $60.00 non-members. Register online at www.swcffi.org. Location Long Beach Casting Club 5201 East 7th Street Long Beach, California 90808
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CLUB CASTING CLINIC SCHEDULE Eric Sherar and Bernard Pieters The goal is to make you a more complete fly caster WHEN: Saturday March 10th March 17th March 24th. WHERE: Laguna Lake Park SLO ( by to the first restrooms ). SIGH-IN and GEAR-UP time : 8:15 to 8:50 am. GROUP FORMATION : 8:50 to 9:00 am. CASTING PROGRAM : 9:00 to 11:00 am. Instructors: Bob Hurd, Bernard Pieters, Eric Sherar, Sally Stoner, Todd Tose, Chad Mc Partland What to bring: 5-7 wt rod-reel / floating line (NO sink lines or shooting heads) / 7-9 ft leader / protective eye wear. — Note: For those who have no rod-reel let me know in advance. Help for those new to the sport set-up their rods. The casting sessions are for club members only at NO charge. They are given by our Club IFFF Certified Casting Instructors. We offer the sessions to each experience-level group, from beginner to the advanced-plus caster. Casting is the most important part of fly fishing. It is the first thing to work on to have a better chance to succeed in your fishing journey! No matter if you are new to the sport, or are a more experienced fly fisher, we encourage you to become part of our club casting family. Take advantage of the program to begin or improve further your casting skills. Every year some of us achieve their goal and feel happy and confident with their casting performance to the point that they can discontinue the program. For others there is still more work to be done. Don't miss this opportunity to progress in your casting journey and extend what you started to become — a more complete fly caster. MARCH 10th First session: MECHANICS and SPRING TUNE-UP. The first casting day is a major stepping stone to the two future sessions. We will focus on a variety of casting mechanics ,including the basic casts and some others to make you ready for the new season.It all comes down to this point "If your carry out good mechanics you produce a good cast!” MARCH 17th Second session: Fly presentation and becoming more productive. Fly presentation is the least understood part of casting by many. Playing the different currents with a variety of casts and techniques is the key to a natural presentation of the fly. This will make or break any fishing outing! MARCH 24th Third session: Improve your casting distance. What most of us are looking for is to cast farther and master the skill to add 10, 15, 20 plus feet to our casting distance. The goal ls to be able to reach those previously "unreachable" fish. This session will cover the different casts and mechanics to help achieve your goal. Some of these techniques are fairly easy to learn while others are more advanced and more time consuming to master. Note: We are asking the members who are interested to sign-up and secure your spot for one-two-three sessions until we reach the group limit. At the time of this reading we have just a FEW SPOTS LEFT! To avoid large groups and present you the best casting workshop, please SIGN-UP IN ADVANCE to participate. SAME DAY SIGN-UPS ON THE CASTING DAY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. For more info and to sign up Contact Bernard Pieters at 489-3085 or [email protected].
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H.P. Tellico Nymph
The next fly tying session will be held at the Odd Fellows Hall in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, March 1st at 6:30. Jim Snodgrass will demonstrate how to tie the H.P. Tellico Nymph. This is a classic nymph pattern developed in eastern Tennessee and fished on the Tellico River. The H.P. Tellico Nymph has remained popular in the East, but also makes a great attractor pattern here in the West for trout. The H.P. Tellico Nymph is a simple and fun pattern to tie, though it has undergone many revisions over the years. It is generally thought that this fly was meant to represent the Giant Golden Stonefly. This nymph fly is generally fished up steam on a dead drift, but will do well on all the rivers and streams in the West. All materials will be supplied, but be sure and bring your own thread…black 6/0 (or 8/0) and your bottle of Sally Hansen’s “Hard As Nails” polish. The following are the materials that will be used for the H.P. Tellico Nymph: Materials: Thread - Black 6/0 or 8/0 Hook - Nymph size 8 Tail - Pheasant Lead wt. - .20 Size Body - Yellow Floss Rib - Peacock Hearl Shell Back - Turkey Wing Wings - Pheasant H.P. Tellico Nymph Web Sites: The patterns shown on these web sites may be a different version than will be tied in the class. Come to this class to learn how to tie Jim’s favorite H.P. Tellico Nymph. http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/print.cfm?parentID=188 http://intheriffle.com/fishing-videos/fly-tying/tellico-nymph/ https://flymenfishingcompany.com/pages/fly-tying-fishing-tutorials-hm-tellico-nymph
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PRIVATE CASTING LESSONS AVAILABLE While our six IFFF certified casting instructors generously put on a series of free casting clinics for our club members each spring we wanted you to know they are available for private casting lessons throughout the year. If interested please contact them directly for additional information.
Bernard Pieters Arroyo Grande 489-3085 [email protected] Eric Sherar Atascadero 423-0170 [email protected] Bob Hurd Arroyo Grande 550-9071 [email protected] Todd Tose Grover Beach 904-5288 [email protected] Chad McPartland Paso Robles 441-0744 [email protected] Sally Stoner Halcyon 550-9509 [email protected]
Do you want the SLFF Club logo embroidered on any garment?
Contact R & T Embroidery… current cost $7.75 each.
Support IFFF and your local Fishing Outfitters
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OFFICERS President Art Chapman Vice President Rich Chubon Secretary Sheri Bryant Treasurer Bob Hartzell
Directors Lew Leichter Larry Dellard Bernard Pieters Mike Powers Bob Bayer
Committees Conservation Tom Nickelson Website Robert Benassi Ron Bryant Doug Daniels (TIC)
Newsletter Mike Powers Education vacant
Programs Lew Leichter Casting Bernard Pieters Eric Sherar
Membership Mark Shelton Fly Tying Jim Snodgrass
SWCFFF Coordinator Lew Leichter Rod Building Rich Chubon
Fresh Water Outings Art Chapman Rich Chubon Library Steve Soenke
Salt Water Outings Andy Malovos Banquet & BBQ Sheri and Ron Bryant Lew Leichter Nominating Rich Chubon Fundraising Bob Bayer Lew Leichter Lew Leichter Bernard Pieters Rich Chubon George Protsman
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P.O. Box 166 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
SLFF MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION An individual regular membership is $35.00 per year For 12 months (January through December). Enrollment after July 1st is $20.00 for the remainder of the year. To join, please download the Membership Form from our Website: http://www.santaluciaflyfishers.com/membership-3 Send completed form with a check for dues to: Santa Lucia Fly Fishers c/o Secretary Come wet a line with us! Thank you for supporting those who help support our chapter.
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